Read the Owens-Corning Case Study and then consider the following questions: 1. Describe the problems Owens-Corning had with its information systems prior to installing its enterprise system. What management, organization, and technology factors were responsible for those problems?

2. What management, organization, and technology problems did Owens-Corning face in putting their enterprise system into effect?
3. How did implementing an enterprise system change the way Owens-Corning ran its business?
4. Was installing an enterprise system the right solution for Owens-Corning? Explain. 2. Owens-Corning's Enterprise System StruggleIn the early 1990s Owens-Corning was a United States leader in the production and sale of such building materials as insulation, siding and roofing, but management wanted the company to grow. The company had only two possible paths to growth: offering a fuller range of building materials, and/or becoming a global force. To increase its range of products Owens-Corning decided to acquire other companies. To become a global force, management realized the company would need to become a global enterprise that could coordinate the activities of all of its units in many different countries.

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Owens-Corning had been divided along product lines, such as fiberglass insulation, exterior siding, roofing materials. Each unit operated as a distinct entity with its own set of information systems. (The company had more than 200 archaic, inflexible and isolated systems.) Each plant had its own product lines, pricing schedules, and trucking carriers. Owens-Corning customers had to place separate telephone...